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Fn:)M THE Press of Jos. Glover, Philadelphia. Pa. 



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SILK FARMING." 



A Manuel of 47 pag^es, illustrated, containing- com- 
plete instructions in the art of Silk Culture. 



fl^ICE:: 



SINGLE COPY, - - - - TWENTY-FrVE CENTS. 
In Lots of 1000, $100 per thousand. 



For further informarion address 



Mrs. ELLEN CALL LONG, 

TALLAHASSEE, 

FLORIDA. 




i*U."^HfcHti«lU'U.Mu.*U^*lX»l*>^U-M*i't*'IU.' 






^^i) 



^^. 



^"^JsC- 



The Spirit of a Single Mind Makes that of Multi- 
tudes take One Direction." 



-^=»S^^^'^5*c- 



lVi//i the above Sentiiuent these pages ai'e 
Respectfully Dedicated to 



AMILTON DiSSTON 



WIK^ OPENED THE (lATES TO 



Florida, 



'Wlierein there is no Man lint ina-y Jiialce liis 
1'arad.ise." 






1^ 






Kntered according to Act of (Joiigress in tlio'ycav 1K,S4, br 
Kllkn CaIjI. Long, 
In the Office of the Librarian of (Jonj^iess, at 
Wasliincton, I). C. 



I 



iwRqmmoRY,^ 



THE use of silk iu garments is kno\vn to have been adopted 
three centuries before tlie Christian era ; hdw much earlier 
iu the history of the world is uncertain. It seems coeval with 
civilization, and yet to-day in many parts of the world it is almost 
as new as of recent discovery. In reference to America, it is found 
that sericulture was introduced into Mexico with the Spanish con- 
quest, and that Cortez, in his plan of government, appointed officials 
to take charge of the industry, and ordered the planting of mul- 
berry trees, which fact is established by a case of litigation, arising 
subsequently, from an investigation of what had been done by the 
first board of auditors. 

Among other items, one-quarter of an ounce of silkworm eggs 
is charged to have been sent by the crown of Spain for the intro- 
duction of silk culture into the newly achieved territory ; where- 
upon it is proved that said quarter of an ounce was given to one 
party, who, though eminently successful, only returned two ounces 
of eggs to the government, yet sold a very large quantity for his 
own benefit, at prices ranging as high as sixty dollars per ounce : 
proving that at the start the culture was crippled by speculation 
on this Continent. 

That one Oliver de Serres, in 1600, atti'acted the attention of 
Henry IV. to the value of Silk Culture to France, and the first 
favor asked and granted was that all useless trees be banished from 
the Royal gardens, and that the Mulberry be made to supply the 



4 INTR OD UCrOR Y. 

vacancies, and afterwards silkworm eggs and experts in raising them 
were imported from Italy for the purpose of instructing the people. 
Prime Minister Sully grumbled, and to his remark that France 
was not made for finery and trappings. The good King Henry 
replied : "Ixoould rather meet the King of Sjiain in tliree battles than 
fir/ht the regxdations of gentlemen of the gown. Each peasant ought 
to have daily a chicken in his pot, and it is only by plentifid resources 
that they can." Thus, Henry introducing it, several sovereigns, down 
to Louis XV. devoted themselves to the encouragement of silk 
culture, spending millions in the project. Even now the govern- 
ment cherishes it, as much as three thousand francs having been 
offered in more recent years to those who should raise the greatest 
number of ^Mulberry trees, and heavy rewards to whom discover- 
ing a cure for the dreaded flaeherie. And they have in France 
what we must have in this country, organized societies for instruc- 
tion and demonstration of tlie work. 

Then James of England and Scotland required of his subjects 
to plant the mulberry, with a view of raising silkworms ; but it was 
nearly a century after Cortez had made the effort in Mexico that 
the same monarch ordered the planting of trees in the American 
Colonies, and he there essayed to enforce the silk industry by fine 
and premium. Missionaries, finding the production a Avonder of 
nature, seized the mystery as a means of conversion, hoping thus 
to fill the Indian's mind with pious awe, but the shame of work 
with them outweighed every other consideration. 

The Ifugitenots brought the culture to South Carolina, and even 
there manulactared silk. Law (of South Sea Bubble fame; 
brought it to JNIississippi, and in 1734-35 Oglethorpe planted it 
in Georgia, and it is historical that he presented to Queen Caro- 
line of England eight pounds of raw silk, from which Charles II. 
wore robe and hose at his coronation; and still later (in 1755) the 
Princess Doavager and Lord Chesterfield boasted of wearing 
American silk. Queen Charlotte previously, on the King's 
birthday, appeared arrayed in the same. Premiums were bestowed 
and penalties enforced to fix the industry in the Colonies, for the 
Treasury of England complained that no foreign commodity more 
exhausted her Exchequer than the importation of raw silk to feed 



INTRODUCTORY. 5 

her forty thousand silk manufactories. But neither roj'al favor, 
hope of reward or fear of punishment availed, for England para- 
lyzed one hand by the arbitary use of the other, in sanctioning a 
charter to a joint stock company of London, privileged to take 
African negroes to the Colonies, which caused all other enterprise to 
l)e abandoned for that of cultivating tobacco. 

There was a struggle, however, here and there, still to sustain 
silk culture, for in 1744 a filature had been established in Savannah, 
and silk from this (piarter was quoted at two shillings above that 
imported from any other country, and this convenience of reducing 
the cocoon to silk thread encouraged its raising ; but most unfor- 
tunately the filature was burned, consuming a large stock of raw 
material. Then follow^ed the Revolution that made breadstufls the 
first consideration ; yet many Avomen of the land continued to raise 
silk for their own use, mixing with it wool for home-spun garments 
but with peace came cotton, then the gin, whereupon followed the 
monarchy of slavery. 

This is very much the history of silk culture in the United 
►States, with spasmodic renewals here and there, but the want of a 
home market for the cocoons has been the great want at all periods ; 
for though the manufacturers of silk goods have for a long time 
imported the raw material, and now as much in value as fifteen 
million dollars per annum, yet they claim that they cannot only buy 
the raw material cheaper abroad, but in two advanced stages of pre- 
j)aration for the loom beyond raw silk reeled in this country ; in 
short, it is not raw silk at all that comes in free of duty, and this one 
advantage to the manufacturers is really what discourages silk cul- 
ture in the United States ; but this is only a matter of time to 
correct. Cheaper labor in Europe, say the manufacturers, will 
make it impossible to raise silk in this country on equal terms, but 
silk and its advocates do not propose to interfere with the labor of 
tlie country — it is to the )ion-producers that it apjieals or provides for. 
Those that from sex or circumstances are removed from business 
centres are herewith recommended to a means of adding to other 
resources an increase of revenue just in proportion to the extent 
of outlay — not potential, but always equal to any investment of 
money or time, more certainly than any other agricultural pursuit 



() INTBODUCTOBY. 

for the amount of time and money devoted. It is a field for that 
army of household martyrs who toil in the tread-mill of domestic 
-wants ; to them this industry opens a way for diversified interest, 
with return for labor bestowed. But let not these enter into it with 
Avild expectations of sudden and embarrassing wealth, for disap- 
pointment will follow. 

" The reports received from the different associations organized 
for the purpose of encouraging silk cultui'e all tend to prove that 
the interest is spreading and operations extending, but the industry 
can only said to be in a chrysalis state, after spinning many threads 
of visionary and exaggerated notions of wealth ; yet, notwith- 
standing, we do not doubt that time — with the aid of judicious 
management — will place it on a firm basis. The great obstacle to 
success so far is overweening confidence, accompanied with ignor- 
ance and the want of experience. In Europe, raising silk or 
cocoons is a hereditary education ; children learn it from practical 
observation, and so generation succeeds generation in the know- 
ledge of the work, but here, there are none to lead except in favored 
•districts, consequently the results are discouraging and disappoint- 
ing. To raise cocoons successfully demands very little physical 
strength, nor does it demand talent or skill of a high order, but it 
■does demand intelligence, patience, perseverance and system, from 
which there shall not be the slighest relaxation. Every State should 
have an industrial school connected with its agriculturial depart- 
ment, by which this Avork can be properly set forth, through 
teachers, and until this is done there will be more or less ignorance 
at work, resulting, first in disgust and disappointment and finally 
in the abandonment of tlie work altogether. The industry was not 
•established in Italy or France until Count Dandolo, and men like 
him, taught the skill to the people, and in China it was an emperor, 
assisted by his royal mate, that led in the work. So it must be in 
•every new field. The people must be taught the difference between 
.a good and an imperfect cocoon, and how to obtain the one and 
:avoid the other, and this can only be done through instruction. 
Many have ventured into the work during the current year^ — 1884 
— that will not do so again, because of the wide gap between their 



INTRODUCTORY. 7 

-expectations and the real returns— a gap wide enough upon reason- 
able grounds, but made the more distressing from a "vvant of know- 
ledge of the work undertaken ; but whether " good or bad " cocoons 
be obtained as a result of personal efibrts incidentally bestowed upon 
their production by experimentalists, they send them to market, 
demanding "my money" with as much confidence as if it were gold 
they had dug, seemingly never doubting the value of what is sent, 
but always deploring disappointment from lack of quantity for- 
w^arded ; whereas, we regretingly learn that not one pound in ten 
received by the Home Association is worth the charges paid thereon 
by them in receiving the same. Tiiis result, however, is not to be 
attributed to any deficiency in the desired climatical conditions of 
our country, but entirely due to a want of knowledge on the part 
of incidental experimentalists as to the best Avay to raise good silk- 
covered cocoons, and until parties will take the trouble to learn the 
requisites of conducting the business systematically, there will con- 
tinue to be disgust and disappointment in return for their impro- 
perly applied labors." — Article written brj Author for Silk Culturisis. 

There are serious obstacles to be overcome, which perseverance 
can alone subdue, and thus place the industry on a footing with 
that of the old country. If ignorance on the subject among our 
people was not baffling, it would be anmsing. 

Some think the crop continuous, and seriously ask on what shall 
" we feed the Avorms in winter," — one correspondent asks for a pair 
of cocoons to start the w'ork ; another orders trees and silkworm eggs 
at the same time ; and some, fired by hope of sudden wealth, are 
ready to sell sewing n)achine and renounce the wash-tub for the 
new investment. So that really there is as much trouble in suppress- 
ing unnecessary enthusiasm as to excite a healthy interest in the 
enterprise. Of course, there must be blunders at the start, and there 
Avill be failures ; but these average 90 per cent, in all enterprises, 
and possibly will not prove greater in silk-raising than other indus- 
tries — but in no instance would I advise parties to undertake it on 
a large scale without experience and knowledge of the work in all 
its mysterious changes, which, though easily acquired, are manifold 
:an<l important. In the capacity to favor silk, raising it, is as genial 



8 INTRODUCTORY. 

as the air we breathe — flourishing iu Russia and Sweden, where 
the silk equals in brilliancy, softness and strength that growing^ 
in temperate and tropical climates, for in the latter there is na 
special advantage to the culture, except that of a longer season,. 
which make it possible to multiply crops. 

The fact that good silk can be raised in the United States has 
been long established, but the possibility of profit from the cultui-e 
is the question to be answered, and the demonstration of which the 
country is waiting. Expense and profit will depend upon the utili- 
zation of labor, and the convenience of orchard and cocoonery with 
economic modes throughout the " Education," directed by competent 
knowledge. Experiments have been mostly among those who are 
from necessity impatient of results ; thus we have not had so far a 
fair test of its money value to this country. 

Silk culture is a fine art, which will require apprenticeship 
with time to perfect, but it is not difficult to master, and need not 
be attended with special expense, as silkworms and the mulberry 
tree (or osage orange) are the needful capital, and if persued iu the 
United States intelligeu'ily, it may arise at conditions yet unknown 
in the World. Almost any form can spare a few acres of poor 
land for the mulberry, and every family has its non-producing 
labor ; consequently, the cost of experiment is almost practically 
nothing. A gradual development or adoption of the industry is 
advised ; plant trees and experiment in the treatment of a few 
worms through the various stages, thus gainiug practical experience 
in their nature, always studying the best species to improve their 
pi'oductive qualities. 







FOOD 



FOOD is the first matter of consideration in sericulture, which 
must be good, plenty and convenient, and which is furnished 
wherever the varieties of tiie Morus, or the Osage Orange are 
found. By priority of use, I will treat of 

THE MULBERRY TREE, 

which belongs to that family of plants which have stamens and 
pistils on separate growth, that is male and female flowers are 
found on different trees; therefore, to obtain reliable seed for 
planting, this rule of nature must be considered. There are 
many varieties, all beautiful from the leafy luxuriance, and fruit 
productiveness, and useful for the many purposes to which the wood 
is adapted. Fast growers — they are great absorbants of water and 
impurities of soil ; and are thus, in the respect of resisting frost, 
better as health plants than the Eucalyptus. The paper and some 
other roughed leaf mulberry are indigenous to American soil, but 
these are not silk-making, and where the silk-morus are found 
growing in a wild state, they are the remains of old settlements, or 
the seed have been carried by birds. The mulberry is very hardy, 
is little affected by climate after the second or third year, and will 
flourish wherever the temperature rises to 65° (and so stands for 



10 



SILK FARMING. 



three months), and where it never falls below 10°. In short, 
wherever the vine and apple grow, the Morus can be trusted, and 
tifter being thoroughly rooted, the severest frost, will only affect the 
extremity of branches. It is more a matter of soil (which must be 
dry). There are many varieties of mulberry, and all are silk- 
making, equally good as far as brilliancy and strength are con- 
cerned, but culturists assert advantages in feeding, one over the 
•other. The Morus in all its varieties seems to be indigenous to the 
CJhinese Empire, and parts adjacent, especially the Alba and its 
varieties. 

The Disciples of Confucius claim that the Morus is the founda- 
tion of the solidity and prosperity of that country, for there it is 
the means of livelihood to millions of individuals. 

From the Morus Alba and Niger (Avhite or black), spring all 
the varieties. Nothing better as food or silk-making can be found 
than the ordinary white mulberry, the leaves of which are of the 




illustrated size, dark rich green, full of saccharine and resinous 
substance, but the sniallness of the leaf doubles the work in gathering, 
and it is of slower growth, and not so easily propagated as any of 



FOOD. 11 

its seedlings except as standards, and would not perhaps thrive so 
well. The Moretti and Multicaulis are seedlings of the Alba, and 
the Japonica, and Rosea differ so little from the Multicaulis as not 
to make it necessary to consider them separately. 

The Moras Multicaulis from its adaptiveness to the poorest soil, 
its rapid growth, easy propagation and large size of its leaves, ren- 
<lers it most valuable as silk food ; the leaves grow six or seven 
inches either way. It is therefore, evident, how much labor is 
r^aved in gathering food, which, though succulent with less resin or 
saccharine when young, Avill attain the the requisite durability by 
age. It is also valuable for its easy re-production of leaves in the 
same season, especially in those latitudes where two or more crops 
can be raised. The Multicaulis was first fouud by Americans iu 
the Philipine Islands, but subsequent knowledge of China, estab- 
lished the fact that it had been long known and valued by the 
Chinese as silk food. 

The Morus Nigra makes a strong silk, and is preferred for the 
•cold climates as food for worms. It is also very prolific in fruit 
bearing. Persia, Russia, and Spain use this variety, and as the 
world knows, makes good silk. 

One writer on this subject says : " If I could not have but one 
mulberry, I should take the Morm Multicaulis,'" and a book pub- 
lished in London, in 1689, says: "One worm fed on the Black Mul- 
berry in worth more than two on the Morus Alba." 

These various opinions should establish the fact that no dictum 
relative to varieties of the mulberry as food for the silkworm is 
to be received — quantity is tlie main question. 

Myself, I believe ^at the black-fruited mulberry is equally 
good, and its prolific fruit, so useful on a farm, gives it many 
advantages. 

In Europe, those who have the land, and perhaps never pro- 
pose to raise a worm, plant mulberries for hedging, and in orchards ; 
and the authorities plant them along the road-side ; and these are let 
for the season to worm-raisers, to furnish the leaf market — thus 
dividing the interest and responsibility of the industry, giving a 
great advantage to those who have no laud to raise silk, and a 
revenue to those that only plant the tree. One acre of the mul- 



1 'i SILK FARMING. 

berry, treated as described, will furnish food for eighty thousand 
worms, and at the viinimum price and estimate of cocoons, these 
should yield S8U net ; and every year these two acres should feed 
more and yield moi-e, until perfect maturity, when they will be 
Morth §5125 to S150 per acre. It will be a happy day for the United 
.States, when individuals and the public authorities can boast of 
thousands of acres of this valuable tree. Every college and school 
grounds, public squares, church yards, etc., might be thus utilized to 
the good of the people. 

In addition to the Morus Multicaulis, (to which I give prefer- 
ence), I recommend planting the Alba or Nigra, for feeding in 
the last stage of the worm. It is not necessary, but I am inclined to- 
think these have more resin, (which is important to silk-making) 
than the Multicaulis. The Mulberry, and I suppose, most plant* 
are composed of five different substances, fibrous and color matter, 
water, saccharine and resinous substance. The cultivation of the 
Mulberry must be in reference to the in or decrease of these quali- 
ties. It will hold a great quantity of water, which if encouraged,, 
would make it too succulent for the health of the worm; therefore*- 
to avoid this, dry, well drained, sunny slopes must be selected for 
the planting, and a sweet inoxious soil be selected, a fertile, sandy 
loam or well drained clayey-land. 

To recapitulate, in the first ages of the worm, the food must 
furnish saccharine, to nourish and make them grow ; subsequcntlv, the 
worm fills its silk vessels, which extends the length of the worm on 
each side, fr(»m which it spins through a small orifice below the 
mouth, and the resin accumulated and which makes the silk; the 
strength and weight of Avhich depends upon the quality and quan- 
tity thus secreted. 

To produce this food, select suitable land, plough thoroughly,, 
and place the ])lants 12 feet each way, so as to admit a cart or 
hand-barrow for picking leaves ; beside, the space can be at different 
seasons of the year cultivated in melons or vegetables. Healthy, 
vigorous .shrubs are to be made of the plants instead of trees — which 
to do^they must be cut back the beginning of every season, forc- 
ing them to shoot from the root, making many branches and leaves. 

To plant cuttings, the ground must be prepared very neatly, 
by spadiug and raking, leaving it mellow and free from all stone* 



FOOD. 13 

or sticks, selecting ground shaded and protected from cold wind 
and hot sun. In planting the Alba and Nigra, which are of hard 
wood, place them in the ground somewhat inclined, covering the 
cutting entirely, excepting two buds ; press the soil close. This 
done after a rain, they will not require water unless a continuous 
drought prevails. In the Southern States this propagation can be 
done in the tall or spring, but in cold latitudes the spring will be 
the period best suited for cuttings. The Morus Multicaulis, being 
a more succulent plant, of soft wood, it can, after preparing the 
soil as heretofore advised, be planted horizontally, putting a 
cutting, any length or size, entirely in the ground, which will 
sprout from every bud. When roots are well formed (next season) 
these must be subdivided and transplanted as advised. 

Grafts, where acres are required, would be too expensive, and 
I think are entirely unnecessary. I am satisfied that neither the 
quantity or quality of silk would be changed by feeding worms on 
grafted mulberries — we are in pursuit of leaves, not fruit. I 
believe an orchard, carefully nursed, can be obtained almost as 
soon from seed as from cuttings, and is much the least expensive 
manner of doing so, as one ounce of seed will give five thousand 
plants. First, procure reliable seed. Prepare bed as for onions, 
soak the seed for forty-eight hours, plant in drills, press or water 
so as to make the soil lie close. AVater when necessary ; hand weed. 
If too thick, draw out plants as soon as they have strength for 
transplanting. Finally (next season), cut back within four or six 
inches of root, and transplant to orchard ground. 

Picking leaves to feed requires very considerable judgment. I 
would not advise the use of the orchard for feeding worms before 
the third summer from seed or cuttings. If well cultivated, they 
will have required sufficient strength or renin at this time to make 
silk. In gathering leaves, pass the hand upward, taking all the 
leaves from the same branch, except the terminal, which must be 
left as the lung of the plant. If stroked downward, the buds will 
be destroyed, and if one or more leaves are left, they will draw the 
sap and prevent a new growth. In the early stages of the worm, 
when very few leaves will suffice, of course very young leaves can 
be selected from branch to branch. Hand bags, with a hoop at 



14 SILK FARMING. 

the top, are conveuieat for receiving leaves, which must not bs" 
exposed to the sun, rain or dust. Of course, mulberries can be- 
cultivated in hedges if preferred. 

In reference to the Osage Orange as food for the worm, I can 
testify that they thrive and make good silk upon it, and a Mr. 
Itschner, a silk manufacturer of Philadelphia, says " he could 
discover no difference in the silk liaised on the mulberry and that 
raised on the osage orange." Prof. liiley, of the Agricultural De. 
partment, Washington City, D. C, raised a family of worms for 
eleven consecutive years on the osage and testifies that he saw no 
decline in the breed, and he thinks that the osage is preferable, 
because it possesses moreof the silk-making resin than the mulberry. 

With such testimony we are left to follow our own choice, and 
we hail it as a fortunate support to sericulture that there are so 
many miles of this doubly valuable plant traversing the country ; 
yet, to me the thorns would always be a serious objection, but 
American invention will circumvent this difficulty and furnish some 
protection in gathering leaves — still query? if supplied in branches, 
will not the thorns wound more or less the worms? 

The silkworm is very dainty, and has a choice from what it 
shall make the winding sheet of golden thread, which is the one 
purpose of its short life, into which no adulteration is admitted, for 
it will die before submitting to imposture. Lettuce, cabbage or 
dandelion leaves will be tolerated to accommodate the season for 
awhile, but when the silk making age (the fifth) arrives, the worm- 
requires silk making food. 



COCOONERY. 

IN this, expense can be avoided; at the same time a suitable shelter 
is a necessity to the worm, and as eggs that fill an ordinary wine- 
glass, will develop into forty thousand worms and more, growing three 
inches in length, it becomes those entering upon the work to consider 
"what will he do with it." 



16 !^ILK FARMING. 

Circumstances must control or direct individuals in the matter 
of cocoonery, into which greatly enters the matter of climate. For 
experimental purposes a vaca:it room in a dwelling house will an- 
sw^er, or a table even in one already occupied; but those who intend 
to raakesericulture a business, a money making interest, undoubtedly 
should make an independent provision for sheltering the worm. 
In parts of the South an outside shelter might answer, provided 
the rains and dews could not reach the larva3, but the birds, ants, 
lizards and poultry would render such exposure impossible. 

If, therefore, a c(x'oonery must be built, let other purposes enter 
into its construction, as it will be needed only for a few weeks of 
the year for worm-raising. I would advise a loft to break the 
force of the sun, and a ground floor to shelter or dry leaves if 
the weather should be unfavorable. This ventilation above and 
below will give to the centre-room great advantages in temperature. 
Windows should be in on all sides, admitting air from the top and if 
possible, openings should be left (arranged to close however) below 
windows, so as to effect free circulation of air at times. Window 
frames can be filled with bagging instead of sash and glass, but 
there must be shutters to close in case of storm and rain. It is most 
prudent to provide means of heating by fire-place or stove, as the 
weather is variable in the South during the spring, and always a 
great difference in the temperature of day and night. For the 
advantage of those who desire to have a separate cocoonery, I 
have attached a plate of what is considered a model. It should 
be 100 feet long and 30 feet wide, two stories high, and contain 
four rows of shelves on each floor, by passage-room between for the 
convenience of changing hurdles, etc. It is estimated that two 
millions of worms can be raised in a building of this construction, 
but the loft and basement must be considered for reasons given. 

I would recommend feeding frames, laced and counter-laced 
with cotton-cord of different sized mesh for different aged worms ; 
a large nail should be driven half through each corner of frame to 
prevent it resting heavily on the Avorm. Place the leaves on top of 
the netting or cords, and the worms will crawl through or above, 
leaving the tray below, so that it can be easily cleaned of all debris, 
Perfoi'ated paper is recommended, but it is too heating, I think, and 



COCOONERY. 17 

mosquito netting is of doubtful use, though I thiuk it may be 
ndniirable as lining to the bottom of a tray, iustead of paper, as it 
will admit greater circulation of air. 

Hygiene is of the utmost importance in preparing a cocoonery 
for the Education, or raising of the worm, and to avoid contagion ; 
Pasteur gives the following directions in the preparation of a 
cocoonery, which I suppose are in jjoint where a building has been 
in continuous use for a long time : 

1st. Paint or wash the walls or surface of the floors with a 
solution of chloride of lime. 

2d. Place together all boxes, frames, utensils, before used, and 
having closed hermetically all openings into the cocoonery, burn a 
few ounces of sulphur, in order to destroy by fumigation all ani- 
malcula suspended in the air, or hidden in the crevices of walls. 

3d. Wipe the floors with strong solution of spirits of turpen- 
tine or coal oil. 

4th. To lower the temperature, sprinkle the floors with cold 
water frequently, and never sweep during the Education, but wupe 
the floor with a wet cloth. 

Construct so as to exclude mice, rats, birds, lizards, ants and 
poultry. 

Temperature is of very great importance in sericulture; first, to 
the egg and to the worm throughout its existence, thermometers must 
adorn the walls of a cocoonery, which must be constantly studied, 
for during the feeding period, they should not fall below 75° or 
80°, which must be corrected by closing windows and gentle fires. 
So carefully is temperature considered in the Chinese cocooneries, 
that a man devoid of clothing is sent occasionally into the wards 
to test the atmosphere. This is a very difficult matter upon which 
to advise, for there is, I believe, greater danger from too great heat 
than cold ; consequently, I will recommend the good sense of fol- 
lowing nature as far as possible. Consider the worm as on the tree. 
Naturally, he seeks shade under the leaf: this indicates that he 
would avoid the heat of the sun. To reach this instinct, arrange a 
cocoonery so as to command light and air, but do not admit the 
power of the sun. The air should be fresh, never stagnant, but 
draughts must be studiously avoided, for chills are death to the 



18 SILK FARMING. 

worm ; there must be warmth without heating. Damp or moist 
atmosphere must on no account be allowed. When the weather is 
equable and genial windows can be opened, but a necessity to ven- 
tilation are holes above and below in the walls of a room, made 
with movable slides, and the number proportioned to size of room^ 
The perspiration from worms is very great, consequently the sur- 
rounding air is soon affected by it, and hence disease. 

The best period of raising worms will be from the first of 
April to first of June. This is usually a dry season with us, making 
it practicable to use barns and even sheds for the raising^ 
of worms, provided the latter can be protected from vermin 
of all kind, birds and poultry. Indeed, in carrying millions 
of worms through the " Education" 1 am satisfied these open build- 
ings will be favorable if the influence of rain and winds can be 
avoided. Of course, a building conducted upon strict principles of 
ventilation to serve at all times and difierent conditions of the at- 
mosphere must be a great advantage to the prosperity of the worm, 
and will in time bring return in the abundance of cocoons of good 
quality. Thus a trifling expense would render useless garrets, barns 
and warehouses as desirable places for rearing silkworms. 



EGGS. 

HAVING had the opportunity of studying varieties in cocoons,, 
and of observing results, I have arrived at the conclusion 
that there is nothing of so much importance in silk raising as 
to procure a breed that is productive of silk, as some are greater 
spinners than others, and though these natural capacities are greatly 
augmented by plentiful feeding and careful tending in good races,. 
yet there are varieties the natural force of which cannot be changed 
by any amount of food. It is most discouraging to see the work 
of a season expended on the worthless many-crop worms ; and as 
Southern people are especially deluded by the promising names of 
Bivoltines and Trivoltines. I would warn them that it is labor lost 
tc raise them, for they produce a thin cocoon, eat as much and 
occupy as much time to complete their work as the Annual; besides^ 



EGGS. 19 

the small quantity of silk returned is coarse and rough. One big 
crop of Annuals will pay better in results, and if a second crop is 
desired it will pay better to import eggs from a colder climate, or to 
keep part of the stock back, by subjecting them to a low tempera- 
ture in an ice-house or refrigerator ; but do not place them on 
ice, or the vitality will be destroyed. Varieties in worms have 
been so multiplied by crossings, that it is difficult to ascertain what 
are independent or original breeds, but inquiry and close study of 
the subject enables me to give the following list, which I think 
covers the subject sufficiently to guide in a choice towards raising a 
crop ; and from these, by careful selection and subsequent attention 
in keeping kinds distinct, the United States may arrive at great 
success in raising a healthy variety, that will not only make us in- 
dependent of importing eggs, but give a reputation that will enable 
us to export for foreign use. As the best cocoon that I have found, 
I name the 

Milanaise Yellow, which is of medium size, a rich cream color, very 
fine ; said to yield 120 pounds of cocoons to one ounce of eggs. 

The Yellow-var is larger, same color, and will yield from eighty 
(80) to one hundred pounds (100) of cocoons to one ounce of 

eggs. 

The Corsica White is a large firm white cocoon, not satin looking 
(which is a defect), which will yield from one hundred to one 
hundred and twenty pounds of cocoons to one ounce of eggs. 

The Japanese Green is a small, firm, green cocoon, very fine, yield- 
ing forty pounds of cocoons to one ounce of eggs. 

There is no way of distinguishing the race by the egg. 

I have had an opportunity of examining a variety of cocoons ex- 
hibited at the last Paris Exposition (1873) from the Levantine 
Coast, Turkey, Syria, Asia Minor, Greece, Egypt and English In- 
dia. With few exceptions they appear to be of the many-crop worms, 
large, thin and coarse ; and as these are purported to have been 
collected from the Marseilles market, I concluded that if they 
were veritable specimens of what the Eastern world had furnished 
for the silk supply, it had much to gain from the adoption of the 



20 SILK FARMING. 

industry in the United Sates, the brisk breezes and space of which 
can and must in time bring silk to a higher standard than it lias 
reached heretofore in any country. For, in addition to natural 
advantages, a different people will handle it — one that by intelli- 
gence, enterprise and perseverance overcome all obstacles to estab- 
lish perfectiou. In Europe and Asia, the people have raised 
silk work in a groove, generation after generation, thus perfecting 
what they do, but never advancing. Americans will appropriate 
what is best from them, then go forward developing modes of their 
own, even to the subjection of nature to their indomitable will. 

If eggs are imported from abroad, they should be obtained in 
the months of O-^tober, November and December, and on their 
arrival should at once be placed at very low temperature, and 
so kept until the spring food is ready. The transportation is 
in itself calculated to advance incubation, for I believe, if left un- 
didurhed in any climate, they will not hatch until nature provides 
leaves plentiful to support them; but under all abnormal conditions 
they should be kept at a temperature not higher than 55°. Rela- 
tive to eggs, we have very much to learn. It may arrive that we 
shall find that while one section is best adapted to cocoon raising, 
another is better for eggs. 80 let none be obstinate in belief until 
experiment establishes what is best. 

More than one crop in a season may succeed, but will fail 
nine times out of ten. There is one certain chance of success, and 
that is to begin the crop as early as respective climate will admit, 
and then push the crop forward by feeding, so that the worm will 
not be eating more than thirty days. Every day after that is loss 
in silk and increase of expense. 

It has become a general opinion that it will pay best to raise 
eggs. So it would if you can be assured of purchasers, but the simple 
question how long the demand would last answers the question of 
expedienc3^ It is possible that the United States may become a great 
egg-raising district, but to give her eggs record she must first raise 
silk in plentiful crops of firm cocoons. 

As old as silk raising is to the world there seems to be nothing 
positively known as to the causes of blight to the silkworm, so that 
Ave start with equal ignorance to make the industry profitable ; 



EGOS. 21 

but we must accept the ignorance before we can attain knowledge. 
So let no one undertake to raise eggs for market until the reputation 
for healthiness and superiority of the worm is established ; let the 
test continue through two or three generations of worms, oli- 
serving and recording Education, until the record for health 
and vigor of the worm and yield of cocoons can be officially 
declared. This cai'e in practice by individuals in neighborhoods 
will bring its reward in a few years, whereas if eggs are raised and 
l)y every experimentalist, doubt will always attend the reputation 
of home breeds. Silk culture in its various phases is big with in- 
terest and profit, but to develop it we piust rise to the magnitude. 
France for thirty years has been so deficient in raising eggs for her 
own use as to be obliged to import them from Japan and China, ex- 
pending in this trade annually over a million dollars, and these eggs 
to reach France pass over our country. We are nearer to France, 
so if we can establish the reputation of producing healthy eggs of 
reliable varieties, we can find a convenient market for all we raise. 
This blight or disease of the silkworm, which effects the moth and 
consequently the egg, has caused such immense loss of revenue to 
France that Pasteur, the great scientist, has been for years employed 
by the Government to discover the cause. He attributes it to care- 
less breeding; and thus the evil was partially corrected by cross 
breeding, using Japanese male and French female moths, and those 
of the valleys have crossed with those of the highlands, but as the 
trouble continues, it would seem as if the cause of failure is not yet 
established. 

I am inclined to think that this blight to the silkworm in France 
is owing to causes easily avoided in this spacious territory. There 
Avas a time when the French peasant raised a few thousand cocoons, and 
reeled them into silk in a very primitive way, which brought them 
satisfactory prices, and as they reeled the cocoon green they saved 
the chrysalis, which developed into the moth and produced the 
eggs, which was another source of dependence; after awhile capi- 
talists established filatures, and by rejecting the silk i-eeled by 
peasants, obliged them to sell the cocoons at a low rate. To remedy 
this loss the peasant endeavored to raise greater quantities of cocoons, 
greater than they had space in their homes to accommodate; hence 



22 SILK FARMING. 

crowding and overcrowding, and hence disease and death ; and all 
" Pasteur" has affected is to declare a remedy in more room, good air 
and cleanliness, which at the same time declares the cause of the evil. 
When the eggs are supposed to be perfectly dry the cloth 
or paper upon which they are deposited should be placed in tin 
boxes with a sheet of tissue paper between each card. The 
box should then be placed in a cellar or suspended in an ice- 
house, and not be disturbed until the next spring. The surround- 
ing temperature must be noted in the autumn and spring, which 
should not rise above 45°. If eggs are to be transported to another 
country it should be done in December or early in January. If 
the distance only occupies two or three days in passage I would ad- 
vise eggs not being shipped until the food of the locality to which 
they are destined is ready, because the agitation of the eggs even 
during the winter seems to provoke premature " d'ecloision." The 
Japanese give their cartoons of eggs a cold bath in the autumn — 
also in the spring, the object being to remove the natural gum, which 
is supposed to retard equal incubation, and for the same reason they 
subject them to a gentle vapor bath by the evaporation of heated 
water near at hand. Dryness is opposed to incubation. Japanese 
eggs require a longer time to develop. 



HATCHING. 

As it is very desirable to get through the Education before 
the hot weather, it is well to commence as soon as the mul- 
berry leaves are large enough and plentiful to allow no in- 
terruption or falling off in feeding. In the South there are seasons 
in Avhich the crop might be opened in February, but great discretion 
must be exercised in this matter, as the temj:)erature of night and 
day vary so greatly. But those so situated as to use artificial heat 
to keep up the same temperature in the cocoonery need not hesitate 
to venture thus early upon the Education, but the last of March or 
first of April will give time to accomplish the work before the 
heated term of June. Two or more crops can be raised most cer- 
tainly, but experience must establish whether this can be done 



HATCHING. 23 

"without detriment to trees and breeds. Supposing now that the 
mulberry leaf is sufficiently developed for feeding, the eggs are 
brought to a higher temperature, and still to a higher, as incuba- 
tion ve(\\\\Y&B progressive heat, and the change must not be sudden, 
but must occupy a day or more. The eggs will hatch at 60°, but it 
may be necessary to subject them to 75° or 80°, but in any case it 
will take seven or eight days to produce the change. Do not hasten 
incubation by forcing heat — avoid any check by chilling — but if 
artificial heat is applied let it be slow and progressive — raising the 
temperature half a degree each day. It is of the greatest 
importance (to convenience thereafter) to hatch all eggs at the same 
time, or as nearly so as possible, that they may moult and spin all at 
the same time ; and in order to effect this, establish an equilibrium 
of temperature night and day (say 75°), and keep the eggs out of 
a draft. From the deep lavender or sage-green tint the eggs Avill grow 
gradually lighter in color until the little mite breaks the shell. The 
room for hatching should be small, as the temperature can be better 
regulated. Do not admit outside air for the first few days ; the same 
temperature in which the eggs were hatched must be maintained — 
for if the larvae get chilled they hide themselves in the leaves, eat 
no more, and die. The first age passed, a little air can be admitted, 
Avith great caution. They will hatch from six to ten o'clock 
in the morning, when incubation seems to cease until the 
following morning. Those that first come forth are few com- 
paratively, and as early hatching indicates vigor, it is recom- 
mended to keep these separate throughout t\\Q Education ^xxA. feed 
them up for egg producers. When hatching commences, place a few 
very tender leaves over the eggs (to which the larvEe will attach them- 
selves immediately, and which should be transferred to another 
tray and to a lower temperature, so as to retard aj^petite), and feed 
lightly until a second and third lot of larvae are secured in the same 
way ; this done, feed up as if all loere the same age. By this means 
they will be brought through all the moults and ages at the same 
time, and to do this is of incalculable advantage. Those hatched after 
the third day can be classed in the same way, or better still, a lot of 
•eggs can be kept at the low temperature, until the first are a few 
■davs in advance. If two crops are desirable, obtain from a more 



24 SILK FARMING. 

backward climate the second supply of eggs (annuals), but under 
no circumstances would I advise reliance on the Bi, Tri and PoUy- 
voitine families, for I am convinced it is loss of time and labor. It 
is best to ivinter eggs where you propose to raise them, for it hastens 
incubation to move them, which must not occur until the food is 
ready for them. 

It is estimated that there are 40,000 eggs in one ounce, and con- 
sequently if well hatched will return 40,000 worms. What quantity 
of cocoons shall be the return, depends, I think, greatly upon the 
variety of eggs, and then upon feeding and rearing. 

As arbitrary rules are so likely to prevent many from an under- 
taking in which they think they must follow directions to the letter 
I would advise only the practice of common sense in the pursuit 
of natural laws and influences. The fowl brings her eggs gradu- 
ally to a temperature that develops life, and we know that any 
unnatural depression of this heat would destroy the vitality of the 
egg. The French peasants, with this idea, carry the silkworm 
eggs about the body, even placing them in the bed at night so 
that there can be no loss of heat until incubation is complete^ 
when they proceed to raise the larvae in their kitchens, or sleeping 
rooms, on top of a bed, top of a toilet or table. Notwithstanding, 
when possible, a small well-plastered low-ceiling room is best for 
hatching, because, in such, an equilibrium of heat can be best sus- 
tained, and to do this a small stove is best. This room should be 
well-warmed for a day or two previously to bringing the eggs into 
it; the heat shall then be gradually increased, starting at 60° 
and increasing daily (not all in a day) until it reaches 80° and 
even 90° by the seventh day. If you have more than one ounce of 
eggs, divide them, keeping each ounce on a tier of shelves- 
distinct from any other, and then sub-divide ounces, spreading 
your eggs so each worm as it comes forth may have freedom of 
movement. If your eggs have not been separated from the cloth 
or paper in which they were laid, make the same calculations for 
space. Dry air is not favorable to hatching, so it is well to keep 
one or more buckets of water in the room to furnish the necessary 
moisture from evaporation. One mode of removing the larvae from 
the nest is to stretch lightly over the eggs very coarse mosquito net- 



HATCHING. 25 

ting, on which you will lay the most tender mulberry leaves; the 
larvffi will make its way through the holes of the netting and attach 
themselves at once to the leaves, on which they can be transported 
to trays, though placing the tender leaves on the eggs will accom- 
plish the same. If your eggs hatch unifonnly, you can retain the 
worms for awhile in the same room by gradually lowering the tem- 
perature, as they must not be exposed to too great a change at once ; 
75° i« the established necessary temperature for the worms, and this 
nmst be secured by the admission of pure air without draft or wind. 

Count Dandolo (an Italian authority) says " that the woi-ms 
hatched from one ounce, and calculated to be 40,000, should at the 
start occupy n'me-and-a-half square feei, the worms being first laid in 
squares of ten inches, which will give a margin to cover by the first 
moulting," but adds, " where it is possible to occupy more room do 
so, for with greater space the worms eat, digest and rest better." 

They should not be removed from the litter until immediately 
after the first moult, taking them up (as they revive) on twigs and 
removing to portable hurdles, bul^ they must not be fed until the 
whole lot shall revive. This matter of keeping the worms in the 
name stage of development is of the utmost consideration through- 
out the Education. Without this system it is impossible to feed any 
number to advantage, and this rule must be practised throughout 
every moult or change. These periods of torpor last about twenty- 
four hours, and it is much better that those that revive first should 
be kept back, by giving them very little or no food until the more 
sluggish rise than to permit one portion to advance beyond another. 
These changes known as moults are periods of sickness with the 
worms, during which they do not eat, but labor in waiting to rid 
themselves of a skin, from ■which they come forth fresh, vigorous, 
and with increased growth and appetites ; and you learn from these 
changes how important it is to keep the worms in a parallel condi- 
tion from the start. If kept even they will moult and rise at the 
same time which is a great advantage in feeding, clearing th.e litter, 
and one that is felt throughout the Edxication. There are four 
of these periodical changes which end with the fifth age of the 
worm, which then passes into the chrysalis stage with the sixth age. 



«§■ 



1st Day 
2cl ' 
3d ' 
4th ' 
oth ' 



1st Day 
2a " 

3d " 

-1th " 

1st Day 

2d " 
3d " 

4th " 

5th " 



fjth 



Po. 



Oft'-' _ 






't^ 








Development. 



HATCHING. 



FIRST AGE. 



SECOND AGE. 



THIRD AGE. 




;;i ;5tli 



^ffl^^S^^ 



oo "til 



34 !8th 




28 



SILK FARMING. 

COUNT DANDOLO'S TABLE 



OK TIIK 

REARING OF SILKWORMS FROM ONE OUNCE OF EGGS. 









TEMPERA- 




1 


TOTAI. 


AGES. 


SPACE. 




LEA^'EK. 1 


Amount of 






TURE. 






Leaves. 




Ft. I>-. 




I.I5. 


0/.. 


Lb. 


K 


1st Day. 









14 






2d " 






1 


6 




i, -• 


3d " 


9 6 


75° 


3 





7 


X 


4th " 






1 


6 




£ [ 5th " 









6 




c r 1st Day. 






4 


8 




|s! 2d " 
g< i 3d " 


19 


73° to 75° 


7 


12 

8 


21 


^- [ 4th " 






2 


4 




. 


1st Day. 






6 


12 






2d "' 






21 


8 






3d " 
4th " 


46 


71° to 73° 


22 
12 


8 
5 


69 


s 


5th " 






6 


8 




^ , 6th " 






6 


8 






1st Day. 






23 


4 




\c 


2d " 






39 







^ 


3d " 






52 


8 




K ■ 


4th '• 


109 


68° to 71° 


59 


4 


210 


2; 


5th " 






29 


4 




t; 


6th " 






26 


12 




^ L 7th " 






26 


12 






r 1st Day. 






42 









2d " 






66 


10 






3d " 






93 







^ 


4th " 






130 







t- 


5th " 
6th " 


239 


68^ to 69° 


185 
223 


8 



1,281 


fc 


7th " 






214 







£ 


8 th " 

9th " 

10th " 






150 

120 

56 




14 
4 





FEEDING. 29 

The pupa or chrysalis accomplishes atransfoi'inatiou in twelve or 
fifteen days and re-ap])ears to the light as a moth. It requires from 
thirty to thirty-five days to develop these changes (not including 
that of the pupa), but the time can be lessened by increased tem- 
perature and increased food, and this can be done without danger to 
quality or quantity of silk. After each moult continue to spread, 
giving space, but be careful to keep lots numbered ; though you may 
have a dozen separate trays of the same age, they should all be No. 
1, or No. 2, as it may be. 

The fifth age is the most critical, and as the worms come out of 
the last moult (the 4th), it is considered best not to wait for the 
most tardy, but remove and feed generously, as they revive from 
their sleep, still dividing and giving space. Count Dandolo's 
chart, by whicli he regulated space, temperature and food for each 
age, in regard to space must be considered, as a minimum, the 
least that can be allowed to safety and to health. 

This chart, with one presenting the size of the worm correspond- 
ing with the different ages, can be utilized to great advantage by the 
student, though more space and more food can always be allowed. 
Indeed, discretion will often suggest intermediate meals to help the 
sluggish forward, and a nice judgment must be exercised as to the 
air of the cocoonery, for though the temperature is dictated, there 
must be ventilation and a frequent agitation of the atmosphere, 
which can be procured by openings in the floor or near it (in the 
lower part of a door) and transoms over windows ; indeed, it must 
be determined by those in attendance when it is sometimes necessary 
to have all doors and windows open, always remembering to avoid 
winds or chilling drafts. 



FEEDING. 

rriHE young worms having attached themselves to tender leaves 
which were laid over the eggs, remove them to the feeding- 
frame, where they are spread, preserving as nearly as possible 
the same temperature in which they are hatched which must be 
gradually lowered, at the same time accustoming them to ventila- 



1 



30 SILK FARMING. 

tion, when^ finally (iu good weather) the windows and do'ors can be 
left opened, provided the sun is not admitted, and tlie chilb 
of morning and evening must be prevented. Draughts must be 
avoided and all sudden changes of temperature, and in chilly or 
rainy weather fire may be necessary. For the first feeding, chop 
the leaves very fine and feed frequently, but little at a time. They 
would seem rather to suck at this period than to eat, consequently 
the food must be administered fresh and often. As the larvK grow 
spread by breaking the bed very gently before sprinkling the fresh 
food, filling the spaces with the fresh supply, and persevere in this 
mode, not changing or throwing away the bed until the first day of 
the 3d age, but always space as the larva) seem to require. Continue 
to chop the leaves (though less fine) through the 4th age, at which 
time they can be trusted to eat whole leaves, which must gradually 
increase in firmness with the age of the worm. The worms must 
never wait for food, nor must they be burdened with leaves ; watch 
the trays and give leaves when needed. To remove the dried leaves 
and to clean the beds of the very young larvss the best plan is to 
place coarse mosquito netting over them, and then sprinkle on top 
of the netting finely chopped leaves, to which they will readily 
crawl, leaving the old bed free to be removed ; later, when the 
larvse are too large for mosquito netting corded frames are useful. 
I object to the use of perforated paper on account of keeping the 
worms too much heated. All through the Education spacing the 
worms must be considered for lying too close for twenty-four hours 
will make them sick ; as they perspire freely leaves must not lie too 
thick, for the accumulation will create damp and mould, which 
does not come from outside influences, nor must the leaves be rough 
or tough, and it is best not to give more food than they can consume 
in a short period, for it is best to feed all the time, instead of stated 
hours, passing the hurdles, placing on each only what may be con- 
sumed until the round is made. A good start is of the utmost im- 
portance, and it will be found that individual intelligence must pro- 
vide for the comfort and growth of these little mites; having adopted 
them, we must think and act for them ; spread the fresh food so that 
all can have an equal chance ; having allowed a margin in placing 
them on the tray keep spreading so that none shall get hidden or 



FEEDING. 31 

buried under dried or withered food. The peasants of Europe tend 
them as babies, and sit up with them at night as with the sick. 
Never feed with wet, dusty, withered or diseased leaves ; see that no 
insect infests the leaves ; anticipate rains and gather leaves, which 
can be kept two or three days in a cool cellar ; and a good plan is to 
gather leaves in the afternoon for the early morning meals, and 
gather in the forenoon for the evening consumption. Nothing must 
prevent regularity and abundance, not only at the early stage, but 
all through the season of Education — feeding as late as possible at 
night and at earliest day must be the rule. To imitate nature and 
give the worm the advantage of ventilation it* is a good plan to feed 
occasionally with branches or twigs (called the Cavallo system), 
which from not lying so close permit a circulation of air beneath, 
and to lay these crosswise increases the advantage, and then over 
these feed with leaves. 

The utmost cleanlines-s is necessary throughout ; debris excre- 
ment and dead worms must not only be removed from trays, but 
must not be allowed to accumulate in the cocoonery. The larvse 
must not be disturbed to remove litter during first stage. By 
spreading they will keep healthy, but all litter must be removed 
after each moult, and, as they grow more helpful oftener, and at 
last every day. 

There is nothing easier than to raise silkworms, but to raise 
them so that they Avill make firm full-cocoons is no holiday matter ; 
it remains with the feeder whether a cocoon shall reel off" four or five 
hundred yai'ds or twelve or thirteen hundred. To accomplish the 
latter it is necessary to have eggs of healthy parentage. Plenty of 
good food for larvse, plenty of space, pure air of uniform tempera- 
ture, thorough cleanliness and constant watchfulness can alone 
secure these advantages. Strict adherence to these rules, and the 
daily study and pursuit of the system directed, should bring the 
" Educateur" success and reward. Fine camels' hair brushes of 
difi[erent sizes, will aid very much in removing small and large 
worms. 

It is of the utmost importance to see that neither ants, mice, 
roaches, birds or poultrT/ can have access to the larvse, for they will de- 
stroy in a short time all prospects of a crop. To avoid ants set the 



32 SILK FARMING. 

legs of your stands or tables iu cups of water tinctured with spirits 
of turpentine, and wipe off the tables and even floor with a little car- 
bolic acid mixed with the water ; this will conduce to health also. 

No sweeping can be allowed ; wipe floors over with wet cloth, 
and all noise, even thunder, must be shut out if possible, and no 
noxious vapors, such as tobacco, be admitted, uorsmokeofany kind. 

The most critical period of silkworms is after the fourth moult, 
during the fifth age, and the success of the culture depends upon its 
safe passage. This is the time that destructive diseases attack them 
and the fruits of mismanagement heretofore develop. They must 
be most carefully watched, so that any showing symptoms of disease 
may be at once removed, and plenty of pure, dry air must be admit- 
ted. The value and quantity of silk depends upon the quality 
of food at this time, and it must be the very best that can be 
procured — not the soft and tender leaves of suckers or leaves of 
young trees, but the firmest, darkest green leaves from oldest trees 
free from dew, or dampness ; and especially should no change in the 
variety of food be made at this time, and they should have more fre- 
quent feeding— in short, never allowed to be without food. Count 
Dandolo says " that at this period they should occupy 239 square 
feet of hurdles and be supplied with 1089 pounds of sorted picked 
leaves" and this he calls a minimum. The hurdles should be cleaned 
every day during this period. 

Especially look to the temperature, which, if too high, will ex- 
haust the vigor of the worms and cause them to produce small and 
thin cocoons. If the weather is stormy and the air damp and chill- 
ing, close the windows, and it may be necessary to make a little 
fire, but if the weather is clear and dry, open the windows and let 
in light and air ; even wipe the floors with wet cloths if the heat 
seems oppressive, or at least sprinkle the floor. 

As the w^orms advance to matui-ity they will assume a yellow 
color, and are upwards of three inches in length, having attained 
their utmost growth, the extremity begins to grow shining and yel- 
lowish, and finally they seem to grow less, eat less and begin to 
wander as if in search of a need. At this time the night tempera- 
ture must be carefully watched, and it may be advisable towards 
day to have a little fire in the cocoonery, for if the worms are chilled 



FEEDING. 33 

at this critical period they will never revive to spin to any ad- 
vantage. 

To any worms that seem a little backward at this time, give 
intermediate food as much as they will eat, always well matured 
leaves. 

Quantity of leaves consumed must bear relation to the nutriment 
they contain or the quality of the leaf; worms may grow and yet lack 
of resin may cause failure in silk. Five properties exist in the mul- 
berry and osage orange ; the coloring matter, fibre and water are use- 
less as food ; the saccharine substance feeds and makes bodily growth ; 
the resin is attracted by the organization of the worms to fill certain 
reservoirs from which it is subsequently spun forth as silk ; so in the 
preponderance of the saccharine and resin elements in leaves fed to 
silkworms depends success. The Chinese believe that the maturity 
of the worm is accelerated by abundance of food, and that the silk 
is better and increased by rapid gi-owth, and that their appetites are 
stimulated by high and dry temperature. Atmospheric changes 
must be considered, for one false step in this, as relaxation in other 
matters, may be fatal. 




34 



SILK FARMING. 

SPINNING. 




SUPPOSING that the worms have been kept at the same space 
of growth and age, they are now equally ready to mount, or 
to go lip, which means they have run their course and are 
now ready to spin. For weeks previously preparations should begin 
for this period by many devices ; such as gathering bundles of twigs 
or straw, tied boquet fashion and pulled loose at one end, and made 
to stand like a shock of grain, big end downwards; and twigs may 
stand upright around the trays ; newspaper cut into broad fringes 
and laid over the table ; cornucopias of paper; or twigs may be piled 
six inches on the table, and w^orms of one mind be strewn over these, 
to which shall be given a light meal of fresh leaves, over which 
shall be placed a thin cloth or mosquito netting (old table cloth or 
sheet, 'and tucked in); they will taketheirlast suj^per and then crawl 
below into the interstices of the twigs to make cocoons. When 
there are several hundred thousand cocoons it will require great and 
swift attention to keep them from spinning together, which latter 
destroys cocoons for reeling purposes. Much floss and silk are lost 
oftentimes by raisers not beiug prepared for the spinning of worms, 
which, in wandering to and fro in search of some object to which to 
cling, waste their silk, and sometimes end by weaving a mat or net, 
and do more, as if from vexation they abandon the project. They 
should be most carefully watched at this period, not being left to 
their own desires for a moment. After the majority have gone up 



HARVESTING. 



35 



remove the lazy ones to another bed — give them light and frequent 
repasts, until they also " go up." After the worms go into the 
cocoons they need plenty of air, though it may be rainy and windy. 
Do not let them spin in the dried leaves and debris as it gives much 
trouble and injures the market of the iloss. 



HARVESTINQ, 






THE difficulty of determining when the worm ceases to spin 
and is transformed causes various opinions as to the best time 
for gathering the cocoons, which must not be delayed too long, 
or the fly will pierce the cocoon and thereby spoil it for reeling. 
The sixth day after they begin to spin is that generally fixed upon 
for harvesting the cocoons, which up to this time imist be left tin- 
disturbed. 

If the object is to raise eggs for home use or otherwise, the 
largest and best-shaped cocoons must be selected for that purpose, 
choosing an equal number of each sex, the female being determined 
by greater roundness, and the male by a slighter depression in the 



36 SILK FARMING. 

middle like that seen in a peanut, thougli it is said that the indi- 
cations are not always reliable ; sixteen otmces of cocoons will make 
one ounce of eggs. 

It is estimated that a female fly will lay from 400 to 600 eggs, 
so that it will be safe to allow 125 flies to an ounce of eggs. Having 
made your selection of cocoons for egg raising, they can be placed 
aside in a dark closfet, for it will be twelve or fifteen days before the 
fly appears. 

On the sixth day, therefore, it is generally determined that 
the chrysalis shall be stifled, and various modes for this are proposed. 
Where the lot is small this is easily accomplished by putting them 
in an oven after the family baking is done for the day, but this re- 
quires nice judgment, or they may be scorched and the thread so 
dried as to loose its lustre. Of course, it depends upon the amount 
of heat applied, but thirty or even twenty minutes should suffice. 
Another method is to place them in a basket, and to suspend that 
over a boiler, with a blanket thrown over to keep in the heat ; an 
hour in this way will stifle them ; they should be carefully sunned 
for several days afterwards. 

Again, they are recommended to be put in a tin vessel, and that 
set within boiling water, which shall be kept boiling until the heat 
reaches equally all the cocoons ; throw a blanket over the top, but do 
not close hermetically, else the vessel might burst. Then some are 
suffocated with camphor and alcohol in air-tight vessels. 

A sun of several days in succession might sufliice, but it would 
be dangerous to trust entirely to this, though in every instance they 
should be sunned for some time. If there are steam mills conve- 
nient, the difficulty of stifling quantities will be very much facili- 
tated by having the bags of cocoons subjected to their steam, con- 
fining the heat as entirely as possible, so as to steam the whole alike. 
Now, that they are thoroughly stifled, take oft' all floss and sort the 
cocoons, placing all of the firmest and of one color together — the 
satins which are smooth and glossy like satin, together ; the thin- 
nest, the doubles and most inferior apart, as these points aftect 
their marketable value very greatly. They should be carefully 
packed (not crammed) in bags or barrels for transportation. Floss 



MOTHS. 



37 



and pierced cocoons beiug of inferior value can be packed in coarse 
bags, and as express charges tax severely heavy transfers, it would 
be best to pack in bags altogether. 

Cocoons lose by desiccation about two-thirds of their weight. 
When fresh from 250 to 300 cocoons will make a pound, three months 
iifter it will require seven or eight hundred to give the same weight. 



MOTHS 





AFTER carefully selecting the largest, firmest, most precocious 
and best shaped cocoons for breeding purposes, it is recom- 
mended to take ofl'all loose floss, which is apt to impede the 
movements of the fly on coming out ; and a good plan is to string 
them together and gum them to a box, so that the cocoon in being 



38 SILK FARMING. 

fixed will aid egress of the moth by resistance. Place all cocoons 
thus, but separate the sex so that they may not mate too soon on 
coming forth, it being necessary that the female should first dis- 
charge a viscid liquid from her body, which takes place about an 
hour after coming out of the cocoon. 

After this they may be paired, male and female. The room in 
which the moths were produced should have been made dark, and 
it should be kept so during the time of mating. The moths gener^ 
ally come out in the morning, and they should be mated so as to 
remain coupled for five or six hours, after which time they must be 
separated, which is done by taking them by the wing^ and body 
and pressing the male very gently away from the female. The 
females should be placed on blotting pa^jer for a short time, to give 
them an of)portunity to throw off a liquid that would otherwise soil 
the cards or cloth on which they are to lay their eggs. This must 
all be watched and directed in a room admitting as little light as- 
possible. Cloth is recommended for receiving the eggs, as it is 
easier to remove them from its surface, which is done by some seri- 
culturists ; but whether cloth or paper it should be weighed and so- 
marked, so that after the eggs are laid upon, it is easy to discover 
their weight by re-weighing. It should be a thick and not too smooth 
paper or the eggs will not adhere. The paper or cloth should be 
hung against the wall, or made to incline a little, as the fly seems 
to lay better than if on a plane. Do not have your cards or sheets 
too large, a foot square is the best size, and ou this place the females,, 
beginning at the top and going down regularly, allowing space for 
each to lay from 400 to 600 eggs, which are at first a pale yellow 
in color, and after various changes they become a bluish grey ; those 
that do not finally adopt this color, but remain 3-ellow, are consid- 
ered imperfect. 

The graine that is laid within twelve hours is all that should 
be preserved. To raise graine is a Special Education, which by 
careful study of selection, raises the quality of the worm and lessens^ 
the period of feeding as much as ten or fifteen days when brought 
to the highest standard. If the females lay their eggs quick and 
regularly, not heaped, and if they do uo^. loose much of weight after 
drying, they can be accepted as reliable. 



MOTHS. 39 

Preserving the eggs is of great importance. Some sericulturists 
order them laid on woolen cloth, and later (in January or February ) 
they scrape them gently ofiF, give them a bath in cool water, dry on 
blotting paper, otherwise, thoroughly, and pack them in boxes, like 
seed. I do not like this mode, for I am inclined to think the latent 
heat is sooner developed in this way, and the eggs are in danger of 
hatching before the food of the tree is ready for them. The sim- 
plest mode is to let them be thoroughly dry after being laid on 
cloth or paper, and then pack these into a tin box made to fit the 
cards, and place the box in a dark, cool, dry place, where it will not 
be disturbed until hatching time, at a temperature not below 32° 
or above 50° or 55°. All possibility of ants, mice, roaches or 
lizards reaching the eggs must be considered. 

It is recommended and put in practice by some to send eggs laid 
iu'the South to season in the North, but I do not think it necessary 
if they are all kept undisturbed in a dry, dark, cool cellar. If the 
leaves are backward, and there is fear of eggs hatching prematurely, 
endeavor to place them in an ice house, or refrigerator, but not on 
the ice. They can (if they persist in being hatched ) be fed on let- 
tuce, dandelion, and even cabbage leaves, and will grow, but these 
things will not make silk, though they may be useful to keep 
the worm alive until the mulberry or osage orange is sufficiently 
developed to feed them. 

In producing moths from cocoons, the temperature must not 
be too high, not above 73°, or the transition would 'be too rapid 
and result in an enfeebled moth. In the transformation from worm 
to moth, there is no disposition to wander; the fly will spend its 
short span of life in within limits. Count Dandolo calculated 
that an ounce of eggs could be raised from 180 cocoons, the 
sexes being equal. Eggs from the same climate in which they 
are raised will hatch sooner than if they are imported from a colder 
climate. Broods from imported varieties of eggs will improve in 
quality and quantity in the second and third generation, and there 
need be no decline, if well matured. 



40 SILK FARMING. 

REELING. 

THE process of reeling, though apparently simple, requires 
skill, patience, watchfulness and experience to make a market, 
able thread ; but good eye sight, uimbleness of fingers and 
studious attention, will in time overcome all difficulties. The 
object to be obtained is an even, smooth thread, made by uniting the 
filaments of six or more cocoons into one, and this is rendered diffi- 
cult by the variable length of silk on the cocoons, this varying from 
800 yards to 1000 yards. Even worms of the same breed will not 
spin the same amount, and cocoons diflPer in fineness, and even the 
same cocoon will difl^er in the inner and outer thread, and there are 
defective cocoons. These difierences require great watchfulness to 
detect and tact to remedy. When they are apparent, the reeler must 
instantly join on a fresh filament, so quickly that no break or change 
shall be discovered in the reeling thread by microscopic examination. 
Cocoons must not be reeled too close to the chrysalis as the silk be- 
comes inferior, which portion is macerated, carded and spun into sew- 
ing silks and for material of fringes and braids. Double cocoons and 
the outside floss are also subjected to maceration and used for inferior 
purposes. And in reeling there is a certain lapping of the threads 
necessary, which a little manipulation and the reel itself make easy. 

In the plate, glass eyes are to be fed each with five or seven co- 
coons, the threads of two eyes are twisted together, then, separating 
again, they pass through hooks above, and so on again over the wheel 
holding the hank as it increases. Two hanks can be reeled at once 
if the reeler is expert. This form of reeling is still ver}- primitive, 
but new methods will arise, and upon this depends the future of 
silk raising. An automatic patent is being developed to be worked 
by electricity with which one woman can attend six reels or pans. 

The difficulty of reeling has been solved in Europe in the estab- 
lishment of filatures by corporations, but the low price paid by these 
for cocoons would be discouraging to American labor, although 
it is the experience with all agricultural products, that the pro- 
ducer is the least paid for his work. These public filatures are of 
great advantage in the encouragement of silk raising, but domes- 
tic reeling by farmers' wives and daughters is practicable, and the 



42 



SILK FARMING 



pursuit by them will so certainly secure to the raiser of cocoons^ 
the jivofit on silk that I would not have them throw away this 
opportunity of controlling the fruits of labor. The power of steam 




and electricity may enable corporations to run numbers of reels^ 
more cheaply to themselves, but neither steam or electricity effects 
the quality of silk reeled, nor supplies the place of a skillful 
liami and experienced head. American ingenuity will furtheir 




facilitate the means for domestic reeling, but the principle of mak- 
ing a continuously even, smooth thread, must be secured through all 
inventions, and the accomplishment of the work can only be done, 



REELING. 



43^ 



by skill and practice, both of which the average American woman 
is capable, though Americans may not follow established plans, 
for they have already in the matter of reels made greater progresir 
than they have done in centuries throughout Europe and Asia. 

The art of reeling must be acquired hy instruction, and practice 
will give all that is requisite, but if the student is sufficiently self-con- 
fident to undertake it without an instructor, he must put a number 
of cocoons into the basin wherein the water is kept near boiling, and 
with a whisk-broom the floss threads are whipped loose and gathered 
into the hand of the reeler, until single threads wind from the 
cocoons, which are passed through the glass eyes in numbers of five 
or seven ; the natural gluten makes them adhere and they pass over" 




the wheel as one thread, and the skill of reeling consists in keeping' 
the thread supplied, that no bi'eak or deficiency shall be discovered 
even with a microscope. If the water is too liot, the silk fibre will 
come off' in bunches and get tangled in the water, if not hot enough it 
will not unwind at all. Old cocoons require more soaking than the- 
fresh or green ; consequently, the sooner they are reeled after stifling 
the better. Of all the processes of manufacture through which 
silk must pass in being transformed from the raw material in the 
cocoons to furnish goods, that of reeling is the most important ; on. 



DISEASES OF THE SILKWORM. 45 

tlie perfection of this depends subsequent results ; a filature is the 
foundation of a manufactory. Therefore it is most important that 
the work of reeling should be conducted by experts. From time to 
time during the hours of work, tests are made as to the regularity, 
elasticity, strength and cleanliness of the silk, and a record is kept 
of these tests. Sorting must precede reeling ; stained cocoons must 
be reeled immediately, as the stain is an acid that destroys the thread. 
In one crop there will be four or five different lots or qualities. 
Count Dandolo says, "2,800 worms will make twelve pounds of 
fresh cocoons, these reeled and woven will make sixteen yards of 
Gros de Naples, or fourteen yards of best description of silk." 

On the acquisition of the art of reeling depends the value of silk 
to any country, and if this becomes yiational, it is not easy to cal- 
culate its value, but all is lost if cocoons cannot be well reeled, for 
otherwise no profit to the country can be derived from sericulture. 



Diseases of the Silkworm. 

THESE arise from mismanagement rather than constitutional 
causes, though the worm possesses great heredity in all char- 
acteristics, and they are often so afflicted as to destroy crops 
and blast the prosperity of entire provinces. Scientists have been 
employed to find causes and to recommend cures, but to little pur- 
pose, so that we are inclined to think that a close study and practice 
of common sense rules in the care of the worm throughout its growth 
is the only means of providing against disease. The worm must be 
allowed to live in its confinement, so nearly as possible, in a way 
corresponding to its natural life on the tree. The worm breathes 
through small holes placed down each side ; if these are obstructed 
by overcrowding or smearing by ejecting liquids, their pores are 
closed, hence disease ; consequently, worms should not be so crowded 
as to touch each other. Diseases proceed from improper food, such 
as leaves from trees that grow in low wet places, or over rich soil, 
and these are often fatal. Unsuitable temperature, either too low or 
too high, and want of pure air and cleanliness are serious causes of 



46 SILK FARMING. 

diseases. Mulberry trees may be unhealthy, and they may be 
covered with poisonous fungi or insects, the effects of which may 
not be seen at once ; but diseases are liable to attack the worm in the 
latter stages of life, so late as when the worm has begun to spin, and 
sometimes not discovered until the moth conies out diseased, which 
is a cause of injury to the eggs, and through them disease may be 
perpetuated. Prevention and cure for these many troubles are the 
same — good food, pure air and -plenty of room. Never let the air 
become stagnant ; watch closely for any effluvia ; never permit 
withered leaves or excrement to remain in the laboratory ; when the 
atmosphere is chilly and damp outside, build fires within (damp is 
worse than mephitic air), but avoid sudden and violent heats. When 
worms are found sick, either throw them away or remove to other 
hurdles for experiment. Don't let cold winds blow upon the worms, 
but give them light and air all the time. 

Grasserie attacks the worms before the second moulting, and conies 
from too rich food ; it is recognized by the worms swelling and 
ejecting a greenish fluid. Remedy, is to clean the hurdles and 
change the food. 

Flacherie or Blight is the dreaded disease of France ; it attacks the 
worm in the fifth age : science has failed to find cause or cure. 
The quality of food, ventilation and atmospheric changes have 
their influence. 

The Yelloivs is caused by sudden and too great heat ; the worms 
swell, turn yellow, throw off an acrid humor that poisons all 
that comes in contact ivith it. Remedy, cleanliness, and cool 
the atmosphere by sprinkling the floors and admitting pure, 
dry air. 

Tripes arises from confined exhalations from the worlns themselves. 
Remedy, clean the hurdles, wipe over with solution of chloride 
of lime, give dry, healthy food. 

Febrine (which means pepper) causes the worms to look as if 
sprinkled with pepper ; worms found afflicted with this disease 
should be buried as they are said to be poisonous. 



DISEASES OF THE SILKWORM. 47 

Then there is the Mmeadine and other troubles, but for all we 
can only advise watchfulness, cleanliness, pure air and plenty of 
good food. 

Count Dandolo says in reference to the jaundice or yellows, 
that he found sifting very fine quicklime over the worms efficacious, 
but as this is too severe a remedy for experiment, it would be moi'e 
prudent to remove diseased worms and use chloride of lime or car- 
bolic acid in wiping over the trays, wall and floor as a disinfectant. 

Darkness is unhealthy (until the spinning period), as it gene- 
rates carbonic acid gas, which is unfit for respiration. 




CHICKERING 
PIANO. 

"IS THE BE3T IN THE WORLD." 

The Ohickering's have always led in the march 
of improvement in Piano making. Hence their vari- 
ous styles of 

GRAND, SQUARE, AND UPRIGHT 

Pianos have rapidly gro^vn in public estimation, as 
is evinced by the number of Chickering Pianos sold 
since the foundation of the House, -which already 
exceeds 

Sixty-eight Thousand. 

The highest musical authorities in all lands in- 
dorse the Chickering Piano. 

"Write for their ne^v Illustrated Catalogue. 

CHICKERING & SONS, 

WAREROOMS: 

130 Fifth Avenue, 152 Tremont St., 



NEW YORK. 



BOSTON, 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

|||||||||ii||iii||ii|ii||ii|iii|i|i|i|i|i nil I nil III III nil 



002 849 547 ft < 

DISSTON PURCHASE, | 



-i,000,000 -^CI^ES. 



Florida Land and Improvement Co. 



HAMII.TON OISSTON, President, 



J. J. DUNNE, Vice-President, 

T. H. ASBURY, Treasurer, 

K. SAI^INGEK, Secrotarr 



Lands for Sale at Government Price of $1.25 per Acre 

In Blocks of not less than 80 nor more thati 640 Acres, 

Within six-miles of Railroad Line Price $2.50 per acre. 



THESE LANDS INCLUDE AIJL, VARIETIES «)F XTPI>/VND AND LOW- 
lantl, and are adapted to Oranges, Lemons, Limes, Pine-Apjilcs, Bananas, 
Sugar-Cane, Early Vegetables, etc., and are chiefly in the Counties of St. 
.Johns, Volusia, Brevard, Orange, Snniter, Levy, Hernando, Hillsborough, Polk, 
Manatee and Monroe. 

Our lands are selling rapidly. Thousands of Settlers have located on them 
during the past six months. Do not delay if you want them at present Low 
Prices. 



W. T. FORBES, 

Land Commissioner, Jacksonville, Fla. 



